How to Update Samsung Galaxy Note 2 to Android KitKat Firmware

Samsung has suddenly surprised the Galaxy Note 2 users by rolling out the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update today. It’s been pretty long since the Galaxy Note 2 owners were waiting for the update and some were surely disappointed by Samsung for this much delay in the update, but it surely was there to roll out and finally, it did.

The new update packs up lots of performance enhancements, bug fixes, there are some UI changes e.g. the Music Player on Lock Screen, white icons in the notifications, transparent status bar, the addition of Samsung Wallet and Knox in the phone, wireless printing, NFC tap-to-pay support and some others that you may experience upon installing the new update on your device.

The current update is based on the build number XXUFND3 and is available only for International Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100, but other variant owners may keep patience as Samsung has given a good sign and other variants will surely follow the update soon.

As of now, the update is rolling out for France region, but the Android enthusiasts from other regions, who can’t wait to get their hands on the latest and greatest version of Android running on their device may not be able to receive OTA updates or update the device through Samsung Kies. In the aforementioned case, you may not worry as we already have the solution for you.

In the following post, we are going to install Android 4.4.2 KitKat XXFUND3 firmware on the Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100 using Odin3, Samsung’s tool for flashing the firmware manually. This is the official firmware, so it won’t void your phone’s warranty or cause any harm and it doesn’t matter from which country you are, you can run this firmware on your Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100 flawlessly. All you need to do is, follow this step-by-step guide carefully and taste the KitKat on your SGN 2.

Here are the firmware details:

• Device Model: GT-N7100
• Region: XEF (France)
• Version: N7100XXUFND3
• OS: Android 4.4.2 KitKat
• Build Date: 08.04.2014
• Changelist: 1280411

Here are the pre-installation instructions:

• Make sure that your phone’s battery is charged at least over 60%.
• Use the original data cable for establishing the connection between your PC and phone.
• Turn off / disable Samsung Kies while using Odin3.
• Turn of any Anti Virus software while using Odin3.
• Backup all your important data on internal storage, also backup your important Contacts, Call Logs & Messages. This is important as you will have to wipe your factory data after flashing this firmware. It is not necessary but it is highly recommended to achieve the best performance results.
• If you’ve flashed a custom recovery, it is suggested that you create a Nandroid Backup.
• Don’t forget to make EFS backup before flashing this firmware.
• If your device is rooted, you may use Titanium Backup to back up each and everything on your phone.
• Although it is not necessary to wipe your phone before flashing this firmware but to achieve the best performance, it is recommended that you perform a factory reset before flashing this firmware.

Things you need to download:

1. 1. Download Odin – Get it HERE.
   2. Download and Install Samsung USB drivers – Get HERE.
   3. Download and extract the Android 4.4.2 KitKat XXFUND3 Firmware for Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100 – Get it HERE.

How to Install Android 4.4.2 KitKat on Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100:

1. 1. Open Odin.
   2. Put your phone in download mode. To do so, turn it off and wait for 10 seconds. Turn it on by pressing and holding Volume Down + Home Button + Power Key simultaneously, You should see a warning, press Volume Up to continue.
   3. Connect your phone to your PC.
   4. As soon as Odin detects your phone, the ID: COM box should turn blue.  Make sure that you’ve installed Samsung USB drivers before connecting.
   5. Hit the PDA tab, for Odin 3.09 hit the AP tab. Select the extracted firmware file, that should be in .tar.md5 format.
   6. Make sure that the options selected in your Odin are exactly as shown in the pic.
   8. Hit start and wait till the firmware flashing is complete, as soon as your device restarts, remove it from PC.
   9. Congrats! You’ve installed the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat on your Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100.

Got any problems? Feel free to leave us a comment, we will try our best to help you out. Thank you.

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